


Break the Silence

by Star_Madison



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Keith/Lance (Voltron), Everyone Is Alive, Gay Keith (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron) is a Good Friend, Hurt/Comfort, Insecure Lance (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) is a Good Boyfriend, Kuron is Shiro (Voltron)'s Clone, Lance (Voltron) Has Anxiety, Lance (Voltron) Has Panic Attacks, Lance (Voltron) Has Self-Esteem Issues, M/M, Major Character Injury, Married Keith/Lance (Voltron), Minor Injuries, Some Fluff, Space family, no one dies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:47:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26263663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star_Madison/pseuds/Star_Madison
Summary: When a mission goes wrong, Keith ends up missing. Lance has to push down all his self-doubt to attempt to lead the team in his partner's absence.Caught between his self-esteem issues, frustration of not being trusted, and feeling unimportant to the team, Lance takes matters into his own hands to go find his missing husband with only Kosmos and Red at his side.
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 193





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> No one dies. There is a happy ending. 
> 
> This fic almost kicked my ass a few times. Leading me to gloss over a few things that I had meant to include, but there might actually be a second chapter. So those loose ends should be tied up if I decide to continue this particular story.

He had a bad feeling about this. Standing next to Keith, Lance folded his arms across his chest, foot nervously tapping at the ground, staring down at the map laid out before them. He had a very bad feeling about this. Side-eying his partner, he bit his lip briefly, hesitating before forcing himself to speak up. “Guys, I don’t know about this. It feels wrong.”

Lance saw Keith glance at him out of the corner of an eye, eyebrows knitted together before that indigo gaze returned to the map, mouth pressed in a firm line. “Call it a gut feeling but I don’t think we should do this.” He saw Shiro frown at him from the other side of the table, Allura’s confusion, the way Pidge rolled her eyes and the concern and fear appearing on Hunk’s face. Coran growing thoughtful, looking down at the map curiously. 

“Can you explain?” Allura’s voice was calm but he heard the underlying annoyance and cringed, eyes dropping away.

Running a hand through his hair, Lance exhaled, feeling a knot forming in his belly, hot and tight. Of course none of them believed him, trusted him. Not even his own partner. “No, not really. Just…just sometimes people can have a gut feeling when something isn’t right, and my instincts are screaming this is a trap.” Refusing to make eye contact now, he shuffled on his heels, hearing the snort of derision and winced, rolling away from the table, putting a little distance between himself and the others. “….Never mind. Forget it. For…forget I said anything. Shiro’s plan is awesome as always.” He was not bitter, no he was not. 

Maybe if he kept telling himself that, he would begin to believe it. 

But before he could retreat, a hand grabbed his wrist, pinning him in place. Startled, Lance looked up, meeting his partner’s fierce gaze briefly before Keith was turning on the others.

“If Lance believes something is wrong with the plan, then he has my support.” His hand never loosened from its grip, Keith staring at the rest of the team, heat sparking in his eyes and the curve of his mouth. “I trust my partner’s instincts and if anyone has a problem with that, tell me now.” He paused, purple eyes sweeping across one face after another. “No? Then stop acting as if Lance isn’t a valuable member of this team and my right hand man.”

Lance continued staring at Keith in open surprise, never noticing how Coran and Hunk had even moved during Keith’s speech; not until he felt movement behind and beside him, a hand on his shoulder, an orange mustache visible to his right. Turning his head, he caught sight of them, and tried to smile. A smile Hunk readily returned.

“Lance, my boy?”

The concern in Coran’s voice was clear, the hand on his shoulder as grounding as Keith’s hand, as Hunk’s silent support. Shit, Lance was going to cry in front of everyone. Swallowing thickly, he pushed back on his emotions, trying not to think about how much Coran reminded him of his dad. Feeling Keith squeeze on his fingers, he took strength from the touch and breathed in, locking away his homesickness, his frustration and fears. Squeezing back, he bobbed his head. “I’m okay.”

He had to be okay. 

Breathing again, he stood next to his partner, letting the heated conversation wash over him, eyes flickering across the map, studying it for any clear reason why his instincts were screaming danger. 

Wait. 

“How old is this map?” 

Everything came to a screeching halt at his question, and Lance had to fight down the urge to cringe away from Shiro’s almost hostile stare. Licking his lips, he made himself continue, acting a lot braver than he felt. “Well?”

Allura frowned, fingers tapping at the edge of the table, expression growing pensive. “Coran?”

“Checking now, princess.” The sound of fingers on a screen filled the air before Coran spoke again. “Too old. The landscape would have changed by now and we would essentially be walking in blind. Good catch, Lance.”

“Alright. We will need to put this on hold until we secure a new map and updated information. I am not comfortable going in blind.” Allura nodded, giving Lance a brief smile before she returned to the task at hand. “We’ll contact the Blade, see if they have any information. If they don’t, the rebels should. Pidge, reach out to your brother. The more information we have, the better.” 

Lance felt himself begin to fully relax, watching through his lashes as the others begun to disperse now the meeting was over. Head dropping forward, he exhaled, shoulders loosening as silence settled in the room. 

“Hey.” Keith’s voice came from his left, low and raspy. “You did good.” 

Turning slightly in his direction, Lance tilted his head up, meeting those purple eyes he loved so much. “Yeah.” Dropping his gaze again, he chewed on his lower lip, unable to stop second guessing himself. 

“Lance.” Taking a half step closer, he placed his palm along the side of Lance’s neck, fingertips brushing over the short hairs at Lance’s nape. “You have good instincts, sweetheart. Don’t keep trying to ignore them to avoid arguments. We’re a team and I will always support you.” Keith drew Lance upright, tugging and guiding until the other man was standing straight again. “I trust your instincts but you need trust yourself too.” 

Giving him a wobbly smile, Lance wanted to bury himself in Keith’s arms, and never surface. 

“Come on. Let’s go get Kosmos, swing by the kitchen for food and head to the observation deck.” Stepping back, Keith took hold of Lance’s hand, turning towards the exit, pulling the taller man along, not wanting to give Lance time to fixate. 

Tangling their fingers together, Lance shakily smiled at the back of Keith’s head, allowing himself to be led away. 

  
*

  
_Shit shit shit SHIT_

Lance knew this was going to be bad. He knew it. Hands gripping tightly to Red’s controls, he tried to control his breathing, terror slamming into him at the sight below. 

He had spoken up. He had _tried._ Keith had supported him. Hunk and Coran and Pidge and Allura backed him up when his instincts turned out to be right. Even as Shiro got weirder and weirder, protesting it was a waste of time, how they had to strike now, not wait. But Keith. His partner had stood firm, showing how much he had grown into being a leader. Refused to let Shiro take over. 

Lance had never loved him more than in that moment. 

Bringing Red in for a landing, he was leaping out of his seat before she fully settled, heart pounding out a beat of dread. Leaping from the ramp, boosters activating, Lance paid no attention to the rest of the team as they landed; he only had eyes for the collapsed form of Black.

Racing across the field, Lance almost crashed right into the side of Black’s jaw, hands coming up to frantically press against cold metal. Realizing her mouth was open, he immediately climbed up, staggering his way to the cockpit. “Keith!”

Bursting in, he continued to shout his husband’s name, growing more and more hysterical with each moment of no response. “Kei…. Keith?” Voice cracking, Lance stared at the empty cockpit, confusion taking hold. “Babe? Can you read me?” Tapping on the comms, he quickly darted into the cargo area, searching more and more frantically for any sign of Keith.

Slowly stopping once he realized it was in vain, Lance stood frozen in the middle of Black’s cargo area, staring blankly at the floor before voices in his ears dragged him out of his shock. Lifting a shaking hand, he finally spoke, forcing himself to stand up straight, knowing he was now in charge while Keith was missing. “Guys, Keith’s not in Black. Does anyone have eyes on him?”

The comms buzzed, staticky, before Hunk’s voice broke through. “Found a trail. It ends after twenty feet, looks like someone was dragged to a waiting ship.” 

Noisily breathing out, Lance spun on his heels, making his way out of Black to rejoin the others. Easily spotting them standing nearby, he jogged over, easily spotting the trail Hunk mentioned. Biting back a curse, he stared at the blood. Blinking furiously, he felt his body shake and swallowed back his fear. “I knew this was going to end badly! I knew it and now Keith’s missing and..” Trailing off, he yanked off his helmet, spinning as he threw it away, scrubbing hands across his face, a scream bubbling up in his chest, squirming its way to his throat. 

Sinking down to his knees, he knelt there, shaking, eyes pressed tightly shut, teeth digging into his lower lip. Startling briefly when a pair of thick arms wrapped around him, Lance turned into Hunk’s hug, burying his face into a shoulder, sobbing.

“Hey, shhh buddy, it’s gonna be fine. We’ll find him. We won’t stop until we do,” Hunk muttered, holding Lance close, sad eyes meeting Allura and Pidge’s worried faces. Rubbing up and down Lance’s back, he made soothing noises. 

“We need to get back to the castle. I upgraded our suits after we all got separated that one time. But I need to get to my lab and start running the program to track Keith.” Pidge took two steps forward, already fiddling with a projected display, expression tense. “It doesn’t have a large range but if I can tie it into the castle’s lion tracking system. That’ll give it a boost and I’ll be able to get a rough estimate on his location.” 

Allura stood silent for a long moment, watching Lance break down, eyes soft and sad in understanding. Her expression firmed up after several ticks, as she neatly stepped up to support Lance when he needed it the most. “Hunk, help Lance back to Red. Then get to Yellow. The two of us will need to carry Black back. Pidge, go ahead and start your program. Have Coran help.” 

Nodding, Hunk clamored to his feet, dragging Lance up with him and beginning the short walk to Red, rubbing Lance’s back steadily. “You heard that, buddy? Pidge and Coran have this.” Reaching Red, he lightly nudged his still trembling best friend. “Lance?”

Everything sounded like it was underwater. His ears were full of a dull roar, rushing water. Barely aware of Hunk dragging him to his feet, Lance let himself be led, heart thumping painfully in his chest, vision hazy. A shake to his shoulder had him lifting his head, looking blurry at Hunk, trying to understand the words coming out of his mouth. 

“Lance, c’mon, buddy, snap out of it.” Growing more and more worried, Hunk shook Lance lightly, relief swamping him as Lance finally met his eyes, awareness slowly returning. “Fly Red home, okay? We’ll be right behind you with Black.”

His eyes darted to where Black laid before nodding at Hunk, feet dragging as he started walking up Red’s ramp. Lance paused at the top, looking back down to Hunk as his best friend hovered. Shoulders slumping, he felt Red’s purrs vibrate through him, warmth and fondness and love filtering down their bond. Sinking into the chair, he let the feelings wash away his anxiety, soothing out the fear and terror until he felt as if he could breathe again. 

Rubbing his palms along her controls, he whispered, “We’ll find him, girl. You and me. We’ll bring him home.” Lance felt her move, head rising as she prepared to launch into space. Gripping the handles, his mind already latching onto plans. He wasn’t stopping until he found his husband.

  
*

 _“Lance, you have good instincts, you are smart and skilled. You’re Voltron’s right hand, our sword. My husband, my partner in every meaning of the word. I trust and believe in you. I know you can step up if I’m out of commission and lead the team in my stead.”_

Lance stood in their bathroom, staring at in the mirror, expression pensive as he rolled Keith’s words around in his head, remembering all too clearly the situation that led to Keith saying them. Keith believed in him. So why was he struggling to believe in himself?

Rubbing the heel of a hand into his eye, he sighed, knowing the answer to that unspoken question. He could still remember Iverson’s voice, the derision in his tone each time he failed the simulator; the way his other instructors scolded him for not being good enough, for making mistakes.

He still felt like a failure, even after all these years. Even after carving out a place for himself here. Even after becoming a leg to support Voltron, even after he became Voltron’s right hand, Voltron’s second in command.

He felt as if he was one mistake away from losing everything.

And now Keith was missing. His entire world was turned upside-down and Lance was struggling to find secure footing when everything was off-balance. Jumping when something wet bumped into his palm, he twisted around, staring down at a pair of bright yellow eyes. 

Oh. Kosmos.

Sinking to his knees, Lance buried his fingers in thick, soft fur, stroking along Kosmos’ crest, feeling the way his wolf leaned into the touch. “Hey there, pretty boy. You hungry?” 

Bumping his nose against Lance’s cheek with a soft chuff, Kosmos wagged his tail. 

Chuckling faintly, he dropped a kiss between Kosmos’ ears and pushed to his feet, hand settling on top of his head. “Go find Hunk, I’ll be along shortly.” Shooing the wolf forward, Lance padded out of the bathroom, hearing the snap of electricity as Kosmos teleported away to do exactly that.

Reaching for his clothing, he paused as Allura’s voice burst out of the intercom, listening as she called everyone to the bridge. Sighing, Lance hurriedly tugged on his clothing, jamming his feet into his shoes. So much for his plan to sneak into Pidge’s lab and download her tracking program.

Rushing out the door, he put his plan on the back burner. For now. 

  
*

  
“Good, everyone is here.” Allura’s voice was calm, steady, a slight balm to the suffocating terror constantly clogging at Lance’s lungs. “Pidge?”

With a nod, Pidge dragged her fingers across the screen of a tablet, a map popping into existence, floating in the middle of the room. A bright red dot flickered steadily. “This isn’t 100% accurate. But Coran and I were able to narrow Keith’s location down considerably. He’s in the Aenrie system.” Expanding on the section where Keith’s signal was coming from, she pointed. “The problem is there are ten planets in that system, five of which are able to support life, and sixteen moons to all check. We’ll have to split up and it’ll still take time to search each location.”

…This was bad. That was too many places Keith could potentially be and not enough of them. Lance swallowed hard, staring at the flickering red dot. But…but this was also an opportunity, he realized. While the rest of the team were trying to plot out how to narrow Keith’s position further, he could sneak off and find his husband himself.

A weight against his side had him looking down, meeting Kosmos’ knowing stare. …Wait. Kosmos. Kosmos was _bonded_ to Keith. If anyone could find him, it was their wolf. Dropping his hand on top of his head, he sprayed his fingers in the dark fur, petting lightly. A glance up told him everyone was arguing, bickering on what to do next.

Keeping his eyes on the others, Lance took one slow step back, then another, feeling Kosmos’ weighty stare on him. Tilting his head, he signaled silently to the wolf to follow. Glancing back just once, Lance almost jumped out of his skin on seeing Shiro staring at him, expression hard and malicious. Feeling a chill rolling through his body, he didn’t hesitate in quickly leaving the room, Kosmos hot on his heels.

Something was seriously wrong with Shiro, Lance realized, heart pounding violently. Another look back showed him no one else had seemingly noticed. Whistling softly to his wolf, he broke into a jog, heading straight for his room to change in his armor. 

He had a husband to find.

  
*

  
Slipping away was…surprisingly easy. Lance wasn’t sure what to think about that, how none of the others noticed he was gone. Biting back a sullen laugh, he tried to remind himself that he was an important part of the team, but it was difficult.

Hands gripped Red’s controls, Kosmos’ head a soothing weight on his thighs, Lance leaned forward slightly to bring up the program he swiped from Pidge, aiming Red in the direction of Keith’s dot. “Alright, girl, let’s go get ‘im.” Feeling her roar vibrate through him, he grinned for the first time in days, pushing forward the handles to send her racing through space.

Kosmos stared up at Lance, tail lightly smacking into the floor of Red’s cockpit, ears perked forward, catching each inhale and exhale. Letting out a low whine, he bumped his nose into the fabric covering Lance’s belly, demanding attention. Yellow eyes slid shut, a happy chuff filling the otherwise quiet space, when long fingers scratched at the base of one ear, tail beating a little harder.

Giving up control to Red when they rapidly approached the first planet, Lance turned his attention to Kosmos, both hands coming down to cradle the large head between his palms. “Hey, pretty boy. Think you are up for helping me find your dad? Can you find Keith, Kosmos?” Looking down in those intelligent eyes, he brushed fingertips over the edge of one pointy ear. 

Perking up at the name, Kosmos let out a pleased noise, rising up onto all four, his entire body quivering with excitement. 

“That’s a good boy. Let’s find your dad, okay?” 

Red was slowing down, swooping towards the first target but Lance kept his eyes fixed on Kosmos, waiting for any sign he sensed Keith nearby. “Find your dad, Kosmos.”

Making a questioning noise, Kosmos pawed at Lance’s leg. 

“Huh, okay. Guess he’s not down there. Time for the next one, Red.”

  
*

  
Hunk was worried. He hadn’t noticed when Lance slipped out of the meeting. Rubbing at his face, he shared a look with Coran, trying to ignore the concern bubbling up, seeing it reflected on the Altean’s face. “I’ll go check his room. Can you scan the castle, see if any life signs are in weird places?”

“I’ll let you know what I find,” Coran agreed easily, already turning away to do his own search for their missing teammate. 

“Thanks, Coran.” Hurrying off the bridge, Hunk made a beeline right for Keith and Lance’s quarters. 

He hadn’t even made it halfway there before Coran’s voice came over the intercom, the words stopping Hunk’s heart.

“Hunk, we have a problem. There is no sign of Lance nor Kosmos anywhere on the castle,” Coran spoke, eyes locked onto the display before him. “Red is also missing, and according to the castle database, her hanger was opened two varga ago.”

 _Deep breathes, Hunk, deep breathes. Lance will be fine. Kosmos is with him._

Squaring his shoulders with effort, Hunk told himself firmly now that Lance and Keith were both missing, it became more critical to stick together. And he was not sitting back any longer. “Have you tried to contact him?”

“There’s no answer but I’m tracking Red. She is near the second planet in the Aenrie system, circling the bigger moon. I will find Allura and have her wormhole us closer.” Without saying anything further, Coran cut off, clearly running off to do exactly that.

Hunk was going to _kill_ Lance. 

He was going to make his best friend regret everything after they found him. After he hugged Lance within an inch of his life. 

But he was going to make him regret causing him such worry forever.

Running for his own quarters, Hunk was soon suiting up, wanting to be in Yellow by the time the ship emerged from the wormhole. 

*

“What do you mean Lance ran off?” That was Pidge’s voice. Angry and fierce. 

Hunk slowed down slightly on his way to Yellow’s hanger, coming around a corner to find Pidge and Coran standing in the middle of the corridor. 

“Exactly that, Number Five. Seems that our Lance took matters in his own hands and went searching for Keith alone.” Coran begun shooing Pidge towards Green, looking up in time to spot Hunk approaching rapidly. “Ah good! Number Two, we will be arriving at our destination any tick now. Allura will join you both shortly.”

“I’m going to kill Lance,” Pidge growled, stalking off towards Green.

“Get in line, I’m killing him first.” Hunk didn’t wait for her response, hurrying away to Yellow.

Watching as the two young humans ran off, Coran sighed, twirling his moustache. “Ah, Lance, my boy. You better be alright.” With one last glance at the empty corridor, he turned and made his way back for the bridge.

  
*

  
Nine moons and two planets. No sign of Keith. No hint from Kosmos that he sensed Keith nearby. Lance was trying not to let himself shake apart. Bringing up the display again, he scratched out the latest moon, staring at the remaining ten still needing to be searched. Groaning, he tugged off his helmet, running both hands over his sweaty hair, ruffling it up. “Alright. Alright, this is fine. Halfway there, right, boy? We’ll find your dad soon.”

Pulling the helmet back on, Lance’s hands returned to gripping Red’s controls, steering her towards the next planet rising in the distance, three moons barely visible. 

Keeping his eyes locked on the panel before him, he continued to ignore the beeping lights telling him someone was attempting to reach him yet again. 

He didn’t care what they wanted.

Keith was more important. Didn’t they know that? Didn’t they know Lance couldn’t function without Keith?

He was so much weaker without his partner. It was a struggle to push back his insecurities, to ignore the little voices in his head, telling him how much he doesn’t matter, how he is a burden. That he should leave this to those better suited.

But Lance was not willing to let the voices, his insecurity win. Not right then, no matter how much he wanted to curl up and just give up.

Unbidden a memory rose, Keith’s voice echoing, the ghost of hands on his jaw, callused fingertips caressing, a warm body pressed into his own. _Lance, sweetheart, you are so much more than you believe. You are Voltron’s sharpshooter, Hunk’s best friend, Allura’s sounding board, Coran’s adoptive son, Pidge’s big brother. My husband and the love of my life. You mean something. You’re important. What happened at the Garrison is in the past. You are Voltron’s Blue Paladin, it’s heart. We wouldn’t be a team without you holding us all together._

_Start believing in yourself, love._

_You deserve your place here as much as the rest of us do._

Slowly the memory faded, leaving Lance sitting in Red’s cockpit, knuckles white from his grip on the handlers, filled with lingering, remembered warmth. 

_..Alright. I can do this. Keith’s always been right before_.

Scrunching his eyes shut, Lance breathed in deeply, shoving all his doubts, fears and anxiety away, locking it up tightly. He’d let himself panic again once he had Keith back. Opening his eyes, he stared with determination at the planet rapidly growing larger in his sight. He wouldn’t let his husband, their family down.

Another flashing light on his dashboard popped on. Hesitating, Lance freed a hand to press the button, accepting the transmission for the first time. Hunk’s face popped up on his left, the other man’s mouth pressed in a tight, frustrated line. “Hunk?”

Warm brown eyes flickered up in surprise, Hunk’s mouth dropping open. “Lance! Oh thank god you’re okay!” Almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth, his expression changed, growing angry. “What the fuck, man! You ran off without back-up! Why didn’t you say something?! I would have gone with you!” 

“Sorry, buddy, but I had to.” Lance wanted to cringe away from the anger but he forced himself to remain where he was. “Standing around arguing while my husband is missing wasn’t my jam.” Lifting a hand to press some buttons, he let Red begin scanning the nearest moon, half his attention on the conversation. “And if I had stayed and tried to fight back, it would have taken even longer to begin searching.” 

“You can’t just take off! What if something happened?” Hunk snapped, clearly torn between anger and some other emotion Lance was struggling to figure out.

“I’m not alone. Kosmos and Red are with me.”

“Lance.”

“Don’t Lance me. I’m not going in unprepared. I have Kosmos. And I’m not sitting around anymore, letting people walk all over me!” Firing back, Lance barely heard Hunk’s sharp intake of breathe as he forged on, eyes suddenly furious, fire sparking within his chest. “I’m tired of everyone doubting me all the time. Of not feeling as a valuable member of this team!” 

Distantly, Lance felt Kosmos bump him, chuffing worriedly, a large paw coming to rest on his thigh, drawing him out of the raging furnace of fury roaring through him, fanned hotter by Red. A fire that went out as suddenly as it roared to life. Wrapping one arm around the wolf’s neck, he pressed his forehead to a furry head. “Hey, hey it’s okay, pretty boy. I’m okay.” 

Feeling calmer, he raised his head, looking right at Hunk. “I’m not coming back until I find Keith. As his second in command, I’m doing what needs to be done to bring him home.” Without another word, he cut the transmission, unwilling to give Hunk a chance to convince him otherwise. Looking down at Kosmos, he groaned. “I’m going to pay for that later.”

Running his hand along Kosmos’ head, up one ear, Lance shook his head, sighing again. “Right back to the task.” Starting to move his hand off Kosmos’s head, he was shoved backwards in his seat when the wolf went nuts, vibrating and letting out noises of excitement. Opening his mouth, he went to speak when light sparked, Kosmos whisking them out of Red and down onto the moon below.

Stumbling, he caught himself with effort, leaning on the quivering animal next to him. Wrestling himself back under control, Lance nudged the wolf. “Lead the way, Kosmos. Find dad.” 

With one quick look, Kosmos was leaping off, leaving Lance to try and catch up. 

Racing after the wolf, Lance saw him pause and look back now and then, obviously checking to see if he was still there. Still following. Lance was going to shower Kosmos with all the treats after today. 

Legs pumping, he followed, tripping over a half buried rock but keeping his balance with only minimal effort. Slowing down when he saw Kosmos was, Lance caught up, pacing alongside the huffing animal. Petting a hand across his neck, he looked at the cave looming above them, the entrance dark and forbidding. “Don’t know why I’m surprised. This is a very Keith hiding spot.”

Bringing out his bayard, Lance lifted one arm, cradling the rifle in his free hand as a light appeared, highlighting the entrance only barely. “Right. Of course the light doesn’t show anything.” Glancing down at his wolf, he stepped forward, into the darkness. 

Pushing deeper into the cave, he swept his light over the walls, the ceiling, the floor, searching for any sign anyone had been there. Kosmos roamed ahead, barely visible in the edges of the beam, and Lance trusted the wolf to warn him of any threat. 

Tapping at the side of his helmet, he opened up the comms. “Keith? Can you hear me?” Static answered him. “Hunk? Coran? Anyone?” Static continued buzzing over the open lines, and he sighed. Leaving it open for now, Lance crept forward, keeping an eye on the end of Kosmos’ tail.

A yip of delight was the only warning he had something was up ahead. Turning quickly back in Kosmos’ direction, he saw the wolf vanish into the darkness. “Kosmos!” Caution warned him not to go charging ahead but he almost ignored that little voice of reason. 

Sweeping his light back and forth, he froze, a pair of feet now visible on the very edge of the light. “Keith?” Voice strangled, Lance stared at the feet before a groan echoed through the cave. Snapping out of it, he rushed towards Keith, dropping to his knees. “Babe?”

Dark eyes inched open, a pained grimace tugging familiar lips downwards, one hand buried in Kosmos’ ruff. “La’ce?” Keith shut his eyes, head turning away from the light shining painfully in his face.

Hands shaking, Lance angled one wrist up, moving the light away, his free hand lightly touching Keith’s jaw. “Shit. Babe. What the fuck happened?!” His panic threatened to bubble up, straining at the box keeping it trapped. 

“No, don’t answer that. Not important. Let’s get you home.” Whistling softly, he caught Kosmos’ attention. “Take us home, buddy.”

A yip then energy sparked, light flashing in the cave. Landing with a grunt on the floor of Red’s cargo hold, Lance laid underneath Keith’s sprawled body, chest heaving as he reached out along the bond with Red. Silently nudging Red into returning to the castle, her rumbling purr filled him and he relaxed.

Grunting when Keith’s elbow dug into his sternum, Lance flailed under his husband’s weight, shoving at a shoulder. “Ow, shit, Keith! Seriously, babe, what the fuck?!” Half sitting up, he rubbed at the sore spot, frowning hard. A frown that quickly faded at the expression Keith wore. Leaning over, he eased Keith’s helmet free, exposing dark hair matted to his skull and hissed at the dried blood and bruises. “What the hell happened?”

“Lance…?” Dazed purple eyes stared back, a tension Lance hadn’t noticed he was feeling beginning to fade at the sight, as awareness returned to Keith's face. 

“Hey, yeah it’s me, love. Can you tell me what happened?”

Wincing, Keith pushed himself upright, one arm stretched out, fingers tangling with Lance’s. “…I don’t remember.” Frowning, he stared at the cave wall. “Something left me here. I think. It’s all fuzzy. Last thing I remember is being in Black and fighting. Then you and Kosmos.”

…Okay. That was cool. It was fine. Lance was not freaking out. 

Yanking off his gloves, he ran his hands into Keith’s hair, searching for any lumps or sore spots. A half suppressed hiss told him he hit the jackpot. Tilting Keith’s head to the side, he checked for any bleeding, relief swamping him at the lack of it. “Alright. A bump on your head so you might have a concussion. Coran will need to check you out when we get back.” 

Leaning sideways, Keith flopped against his husband’s side, eyes shutting. “You okay?”

“Are you seriously asking me that?! You’ve been missing for three days!” Hysteria bubbled up, Keith’s words creating fractures in the box Lance was doing his best to keep whole. Biting back a hysterical laugh, he bottled it all back up, praying that he didn’t melt down until they reached the castle.

Going tense against Lance, Keith slowly lifted his head, eyes opening to stare at him in stunned surprise. “Three days?”

“Ye…yeah. Turned out to be an ambush. You got separated from the rest of us and stopped responding. We found Black. You were gone.” His voice cracked. Lance swallowed, looking away from Keith. “Took Pidge awhile to get her Paladin tracking program to sync to the castle.”

“Lance.”

“And then everyone started arguing over the best way to search for you. And Shiro’s been getting weirder and weirder. He tried to say we shouldn’t look!”

“Lance.”

“Then they started to ignore me again. Like I wasn’t your second in command and temporarily in charge while we were looking for you and it was pissing me off th….” Lance jerked when a pair of hands grabbed his face, cutting off the flow of words. Staring down into familiar purple eyes, he felt his shoulders slump.

“Sweetheart, stop for a minute.” Keith brushed the very edges of his fingertips over the arch of Lance’s cheek, studying those much loved blue eyes closely. “Breathe for me. I’m alright, ‘kay? You found me.” A complaining grumble from Kosmos had him amending his comment. “You both found me. And Red brought us home. Knew you could do this.”

Slumping to rest his head against Keith’s, he whined. “I hated every minute of it, babe. Hated not knowing where you were, or if you were okay… I need you.” Sniffling, Lance could no longer hold back the wave of emotions threatening to slam into him. Collapsing into his husband, he felt the dam break, tears flowing down his face. Burying his face further into Keith’s neck, he bawled, shaking in the other man’s arms.

Tightening his arms around Lance, Keith tucked his face into Lance’s hair, cradling his partner close. Letting the words Lance uttered sink down for now. He would need to address it and soon. Nosing at soft brown hair, he held his husband, rubbing soothing circles across his back. 

Everything else would wait. 

Lance needed him more. 

Pressing a kiss to his temple, Keith eased back, holding Lance slightly away from him, hands coming up to brush over damp cheeks. “Better?”

“..Ye..yeah.” Eyes downcast, Lance forced himself to nod, shoulders drawing in.

“Hey. None of that. We don’t keep secrets from each other, remember?” Keith bumped his knee into Lance’s, making the other man look at him. “But we should get out of Red before the others try breaking in” He wanted to drag Lance off somewhere private, to hold him until the tremors stopped, and Lance started smiling again.

Dragging his fingers along that much loved mouth, Keith murmured, ignoring his aching head and body. “I love you, okay?”

Staring back, Lance leaned into the touch, eyes welling up again. “Love you too. So fucking much. Thought…thought I had lost you. I can’t lose you, Keith. I won’t survive.” 

“C’mere.” Opening his arms, he let his partner sag into his embrace, pushing his discomfort and pain away. Tucking Lance close, Keith rested his cheek on top of Lance’s crown, humming a song he heard Lance sing more than once during his early morning showers. 

Hiccupping, Lance cried, half laughing at the song Keith was butchering. But it helped. The way his partner’s warmth pooled into him, the familiar scent of _Keith, of home,_ filling his nose had something loosening inside of his chest.

The curving mouth pressed to his hair, muscular arms keeping him safe.

For the first time in days, Lance could relax.

Sagging further into Keith, he buried his face into Keith’s chest plate, muffling his tears, whispering, “I love you.”

“I love you too, sweetheart.”

Shivering, Lance relaxed further, feeling Kosmos curling up next to them. Freeing one hand, he settled his arm across the wolf’s neck.

“We’ll stay in here as long as you need, love.” Keith’s hand joined Lance’s on top of Kosmos’ neck, squeezing lightly. Shushing Lance softly, he went back to humming, lightly rubbing his husband’s back, lips pressing steadily against his temple. 

Too tired to fight, to drag himself onward, Lance gave in. 

Even as part of his heart protested, railed that he needed to get Keith to a healing pod, Lance doubted he’d be able to even stand. A smaller part of his mind reminded him if Keith was hurt, Kosmos would have teleported them all out of Red. 

Tucking his face as best as possible into the unyielding surface of Keith’s armor, Lance let go. Sagging into muscular arms, he sunk into the warmth, trusting Keith to be there when he woke.

Brushing curls out of Lance’s eyes, Keith soaked in the sight. Leaning in to press his lips to his husband’s forehead, he whispered. “Thank you for coming for me, sweetheart.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go from bad to worse for the team. An unseen enemy prepares to strike.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, here I go again. Due to my own need to tie up some loose ends and thoughts that wouldn't stop telling me to add a second chapter and kind comments, here is a second chapter!
> 
> I have no regrets about this chapter and it was a great deal of fun to write. But it is even more angst ridden than the previous chapter. I enjoy causing the boys grief and this chapter is clocked full of Lance and Keith both having panic attacks.
> 
> Also, 'Starlight' came from other authors. I forget exactly which fic I read it in first but I've seen it several times and since it was adorable and something Lance would definitely use, it made its way into mine as well.
> 
> This chapter has violence, blood and injuries in it.

Watching his sleeping husband, Keith carded fingers lightly through Lance’s hair, letting the slow rise and fall of Lance’s back bring him comfort. Sprawled against the pillows, he continued his slow, steady petting, eyes fixed on the man laying across his chest, face half hidden. 

Closing his eyes, he tilted his head back against the pillows, sighing. He knew he had to go deal with the team soon. Deal with the way they treated Lance, putting a stop to it once and for all. Deal with whatever was going on with his brother. If Lance was right, and Keith trusted his husband, believed in him, that something was wrong with Shiro, then it had to be dealt with soon.

But he just wanted, needed, to take some time to be alone with the love of his life. Wrap them both up in soft blankets, sheltering away from the universe, the stresses of war, for a short time. 

His arm tightened along Lance’s waist, hiking the other body closer to his own. Keith angled his head, pressing his mouth to his brow, fingers rubbing back and forth along a bare shoulder, taking comfort in having Lance in his arms.

Shoving away thoughts of duty and the team, Keith sunk further down into their bed, arms enclosing Lance in a firm, unwavering embrace. There would be time for that later.

Letting sleep pull him down, he tucked his nose into the side of Lance’s throat, breathing in slowly.

*

Arms folded, Keith leaned back against a wall, one foot cocked slightly, expression concealing the fury hiding under the surface. He caught sight of Lance glancing in his direction and let his mouth twitch up into a brief smile. Pushing away from the wall, he crossed the room to join Lance on the couch as they waited for the rest of the team to join them. Taking his hand, he squeezed firmly. “You okay?”

“No.” Sighing, Lance flopped sideways, dropping his head against Keith’s shoulder, clinging to his hand. “I hate that we are doing this. Feel as though I’m going to jump out of my skin any tick now.”

“I wouldn’t have called this meeting if it wasn’t important. It’s time that everyone understands how important you are to the team.” Grumbling, Keith didn’t like this any more than Lance but he was done with the dismissive attitudes. …Something he had once been guilty of himself. Sighing, he leaned back into Lance, nosing at still damp hair. “I treated you as badly as they do now. And should have put a stop to this years ago.”

“..Keith. You and me, we worked through our issues. My stupid one-sided rivalry and your dumb temper was a bad combination and we were both at fault. But! We worked through it and got stronger together.” Bumping shoulders with him, Lance was unwilling to let Keith take all the blame for this. Shifting to wrap an arm snuggly around his husband, he batted his eyelashes at him, not wanting to dwell on the jealousy he had felt, the need to knock the Garrison’s golden child off his pedestal. 

Not when he finally felt like Keith’s equal, standing side by side. 

It was in the past and Lance was firmly keeping it there. No matter how much the little voices in his head whispered that he was still not good enough to be Keith’s partner, how much of a disappointment he remained. Slamming the lid on that box, tossing away the key, he focused on the man in his arms, looking into fond purple eyes. “We’re a team, right? Partners stick together. Lance and Keith against the universe.”

A corner of Keith’s mouth twitched, warmth filling his eyes and Lance was lost. Shit but he was lost for this man, even after several years of marriage, a year of dating. Lance still couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have this, to have Keith. Resting his forehead to Keith’s, he rubbed their noses together. “You said we’ll face everything together, right? So this is me swallowing my anxiety and ignoring my low self-esteem to be at my husband’s side during one of the most potentially awkward conversations I never want to have.”

Claiming Lance’s mouth in a kiss, Keith tangled his hands in the fabric of Lance’s jacket, yanking his husband tight to his chest, deepening their kiss.

Twin groans and a delighted laugh had them pulling apart. Face flushed, Keith kept a firm hold on Lance, head turning to stare at the team loitering in the open doorway. 

“Oh don’t let us stop you,” Allura teased, her smile bright and warm. 

Resisting the urge to stick his tongue out at her over Keith’s shoulder, Lance draped himself across his partner’s shoulders. “And what fun would that be when we can’t traumatize anyone?” Grinning at her laughter, he stayed clinging to Keith’s back, watching the others finally file into the room. His smile dropped away when Shiro appeared, the expression the older man wore sending chills down his spine. Dropping his gaze, he stared at the long dark hair curling around Keith’s neck.

Sensing the sudden change in Lance, Keith rocked backwards slightly, nudging his hip with his own, silently reminding him he wasn’t alone. Using the arm wrapped around Lance to turn the other man, he moved them until they were facing forward. Loosening his grip, he took hold of Lance’s hand instead, letting his eyes sweep across the others slowly. 

Feeling Lance sitting tensely next to him, he wanted to yell, to snap, demand that they all stop treating Lance so badly. Yet, Keith knew he had matured enough to know going out swinging was the worst way at handling this. Breathing in deeply, he let his gaze settle on Shiro. “This will be the last time I bring it up so all of you better sit quietly and listen. I’m _pissed_ at how you guys treated Lance while I was missing. He’s my second-in-command and can lead in my absence. I trust him to do a good job. No, shut up, Shiro. I’m _done_ with you belittling my husband. You are my brother and our former leader but that doesn’t give you the right to make Lance doubt himself more than he already does!” 

Throttling back on his temper, Keith took several deep breathes, letting the weight of Lance’s hand in his own ground him. “You always said you trust me, and that I can lead the team. I’ve been leading the team for almost two years now, and Lance has been at my side the whole time. Why the hell don’t you trust him? Hasn’t Lance proven himself enough?” Fire licked at his nerves, the faint connection to Red lighting up. Letting the old, familiar feeling fill him, he stared at his brother. “But it doesn’t matter. I trust my partner. So stop trying to make me feel that I have choose between the two of you, Shiro.” Pleading filtered into his voice, a leftover from when Shiro was the only important person in his life. 

“Don’t make me choose, because I _will_ pick Lance.”

The words, firm and unyielding, filled the air. A challenge thrown, a warning mixed in. 

Keith tightened his grip on Lance’s fingers, feeling the tremors running through the other man, his eyes never moving off Shiro’s face. “You’re my brother and I love you, Shiro, and you saved my life more than once. I wouldn’t be here without you but Lance is my _husband_ and the first thing I chose for myself.”

A muscle jumped in Shiro’s jaw, dark eyes angry, as he climbed to his feet. “Fine. I’ll back off.” Without another word, he turned and stalked out of the room, ignoring all the worried stares following him out. 

Sagging into Keith’s side, Lance shook, feeling the tension growing in the room as the others stared sharing looks. Shutting his eyes, he didn’t want to see the looks of pity, of concern.

Rubbing a hand along Lance’s back, Keith looked over at Pidge. “I need you to start keeping tabs on Shiro. Something’s wrong and we need to get to the bottom of it. Coran? Make sure to have a stasis pod ready. I don’t know if Shiro’s just struggling with post-traumatic stress or if this is something more.” 

“And what will you be doing?” Allura questioned, regarding Keith steadily. 

“I’m going to reach out to the Blades. See if they have any information on Haggar’s experiments.” Keith met her stare head-on, mouth pressed in a tight line. “They’re our best lead on what Shiro underwent while captured.” A pause and Keith looked back to Pidge. “Also, Pidge? Can you contact your brother, get him to visit the castle? Matt knows Shiro. Probably better than I do so his input will be invaluable.”

“Man, dude, you don’t even sound like the Keith that we started this journey with!” 

Every eye in the room swept towards Hunk and he jumped, fingers rubbing together nervously. “I didn’t mean that in a bad way! You just sounded impressive, you know, right then! Um. It’s a good thing?”

A snort of laughter broke free, startling Keith himself almost as much as it clearly did everyone else, judging by the looks of varying surprise. 

“Um yeah. It’s a good thing.” His expression hardened after a moment, taking a moment to meet one face after another. “I meant what I said, earlier. Stop treating Lance badly.”

Allura tiredly smiled. “You are right, Keith, we have been poor friends. Lance, I am sorry.”

Raising one hand half heartedly, Lance wiggled his fingers in everyone’s direction, having remained silent, face half squished in Keith’s shoulder. “Apology accepted.” He caught sight of Hunk out of the corner of his eye and sat up in time to be enveloped in a tight hug, lifted right off the couch. 

“I’m so sorry, Lance! I was a shitty best friend and made you feel bad!” Continuing to hug him tight, Hunk wept, voice teary. “I’m going to make it up to you!” 

Arms pinned to his sides, Lance just groaned. “Hunk, bro, please loosen your arms. I need to breathe.” Relaxing when those thick arms relaxed enough for him to draw in a deep breathe, he wiggled an arm free, patting at his best friend’s shoulder. “You don’t have to, buddy. You always had my back, and I know you were just freaked out too while Keith was missing.” He felt Hunk relax further with each word and lopsidedly smiled at him. “We’re cool.”

Staring at him intently, Hunk nodded once before setting Lance back onto his feet. “Still going to make it up to you. I have the ingredients for cake and I am going to go do that now. Cake first, everything else later.” Rushing from the room, he paid no attention to the laughter following him.

“Lance, sorry.” Pidge touched his wrist briefly, looking up at him. “They’re right. We fucked up.” Giving in, she gave him a quick hug before following Hunk out of the lounge.

“And I will go search my father’s notes to see if I can unearth something to help us.” Smiling at them, Allura trailed after the others, leaving Keith and Lance along with Coran, the older Altean standing nearby looking proud. 

“I’m quite proud of the pair of you.” Twirling his mustache, Coran clasped a hand on Lance’s then Keith’s shoulder. “You both have come a long way since you woke Allura and myself. Continue supporting each other and everything will work itself out.” 

“Thanks, Coran,” Lance whispered, unable to figure out how to feel about the sincerity his team showed during their apologizes. Swallowing, he tried to figure out if they really meant it or they had just said those words, pretty as they were, to convince Keith. Movement from behind had him turning, meeting Keith’s knowing eyes. “..That was weird. Right? Or was it just me thinking it was weird?”

“They meant it, love.” Taking his hand again, Keith lead Lance from the room. “Let’s go swimming. The others can handle things right now.”

“But….”

“Lance, I can tell when you are starting to feel overwhelmed. We’re going swimming then we’ll meet everyone in the dining hall for cake.” 

Lance wanted to ask when Keith got so good at reading him but he didn’t have to ask. Squeezing back on the hand tangled with his own, he knew the answer to that question, the reasons engraved on his heart, burned into his skin. “Love you, babe.”

“I love you too,” Keith replied without a single moment of hesitation, the words sending warmth flooding through Lance’s chest.

Hand in hand, they headed towards their room.

*

  
Sprawled across their bed, Lance rested his chin on folded arms, watching as Keith finished up in the bathroom, barely visible through the open door. The soft sounds of Kosmos breathing on his own bed tucked in a corner mingled with the noises Keith made in the bathroom. Grinning, he caught sight of Keith looking at him in the mirror and wiggled fingertips in his direction. Laughing at the other man’s expression, he rolled over, limbs spread out.

For the first time in days, he felt relaxed, calm. Matt’s arrival at the castle seemed to drag Shiro away from whatever edge he had been hovering on. Staring up at the ceiling, Lance let out a breathy, happy sigh, eyes drifting partially shut as he laid on the soft bed, letting the sounds his husband was making wash over him.

He doubted this peace would last but he was going to cling to it as long as possible. 

Soft, barely audible footsteps echoed in the room. Craning his head sideways, he watched Keith approach, a warm smile tugging at his lips. “Hey there, handsome.” The bed dipped under Keith’s weight, and Lance rolled, wrapping himself around Keith before the other man could even get all the way under the covers. 

Crackling with laughter at his husband’s grumbled protest, he pressed kisses to bare skin, trailing up Keith’s belly. Continuing to kiss his way upwards, Lance finally hit eye level. Giving him a playful grin, he leaned in for a kiss, laughing against lips curving upwards fondly, letting Keith push him onto his back, legs spread to let a muscular body press into his own. Wrapping arms around the older man, he sighed contently into his mouth, running fingers through unruly hair, Keith’s muffled laughter dancing against his lips. 

“You are ridiculous, sweetheart.” Keith pressed a kiss to the edge of Lance’s mouth, soft and gentle, purple eyes full of fondness and love. 

Flashing him a smile, he brushed Keith’s bangs out of his eyes, knowing his own expression was as sappy. “Call me what you will, you know you are as ridiculous as me, starlight.” Leaning up to kiss the tip of his nose, Lance laughed at the way his husband snorted, his heart feeling so light yet full. 

A grunt of surprise burst free when Keith decided to take matters in his own hands and drop his entire weight soundly on top of Lance, knocking all the air from his lungs. “Urk!”

Smirking, Keith made himself comfortable, head tucked under Lance’s chin, dark hair tickling his throat. Breathing out lightly, he kissed at his husband’s pulse point. “Love you, sweetheart.”

Arms remaining folded in place over Keith’s back, Lance shivered, letting the solid weight on his chest, the warm breathe washing over bare skin, begin lulling him to sleep. “Love you too, starlight.”

*

  
Everything was supposed to be okay! Not. Not this. Everything was falling apart right before his eyes. He hadn’t expected this, doubted any of the team had.

Lance wasn’t sure what happened. No, scratch that, he knew what happened but the how escaped him. Standing in a doorway, rifle in hand, he stared wide-eyed at the scene before him. This…this wasn’t supposed to happen. 

They were working on figuring out what was up with Shiro, why the older man seemed to grow more and more unhinged the more Keith resisted his demands. Voices roared in his ears, barely heard over the buzzing, the fear that was locking up his throat, freezing him in place. 

Staring at Shiro as the older man crouched, eyes devoid of all emotions, Lance frantically searched for any hint, any sign that Shiro was still in there somewhere. 

“Guys…guys, I found Shiro.” The voices in his ears fell silent, the rest of the team stopping. Clearing his throat, Lance forced words past his lips. “Found him in the central database hub. Oh shit!” Dodging sideways when Shiro suddenly moved, launching himself at him quickly, he was suddenly so grateful for all the times Keith dragged him to the training deck. “I could use some backup here, guys!” 

Screaming, Lance bolted from the room, ducking under Shiro’s arm, paling as Shiro’s glowing hand left a deep gash in the wall. “Make that yes please now someone get down here!” 

“I’m on my way, sweetheart!”

Oh god, good, Keith was coming. He just had to keep running away until his husband arrived to save his ass. 

….

Lance hated the surge of helplessness that hit him at the thought. What good was he if everyone had to come rescue him all the quiznaking time?! Faltering, he missed a step, footsteps slowing just enough for Shiro to catch him, forgetting at the worse moment he had been running for his life.

All the breathe was knocked out of him as pain hit, bright and blinding and overwhelming. His nerves screamed, body arching upwards, trying to escape the source of the agony. Staring down with wide eyes at the blade sticking from his shoulder, Lance gasped, fighting to catch his breath, lungs refusing to cooperate. Turning his head, he met Shiro’s glowing, hostile eyes and whimpered. 

Time crawled to a halt, grinding to a stop, and the only thing he could focus on was the manic grin Shiro was wearing. Lance dimly felt his heart pounding into his rib cage, a frantic beat that pulsed in time with the pain fixated on his shoulder. Staring into Shiro’s face, he wondered if this was the end, blood dripping onto the floor as he hung by his throbbing shoulder, pooling under his dangling feet. 

….He wished he hadn’t insisted on going off on his own despite Keith’s protests they should stay together. He wanted to say goodbye to his husband. Tell him how much he loved him.

Footsteps, rapidly approaching, echoed up the corridor. A beat later, they faltered, the person stumbling for a moment. A hoarse shout reverberate along the walls, full of panic, of angst. Keith was screaming. Lance’s heart hurt at the sound, at how Keith’s voice broke.

“LANCE!” 

Oh. Keith. His poor husband. He was going to be forced to watch him die. Moaning in pain when Shiro flung his arm out, the blade slipping free, Lance flew backwards through the air, slamming bodily into a wall. Sliding down, he slumped, barely hearing the way Keith roared his name.

_**“LANCE!!!!”** _

All he could feel was pain, radiating from his shoulder, down through his entire body. Head hanging, Lance barely heard the sound of metal meeting shrieking metal. Eyes sliding shut, he sagged, landing on his side, ears ringing. 

Was someone screaming? He wondered dimly, the pain retreating as unconsciousness pulled him under.

Fury pounded through his veins. Keith was fury, he was fire. He was going to kill this person who wore his brother’s face, who had hurt Lance. Screaming his outrage, he launched himself forward, bayard and luxite blades flashing as he fought. He could see Lance flopped over at the edge of his vision but he had to deal with this imposter before he could rush his partner to safety. 

Snarling, he lunged, parrying a blow, striking at an unprotected flank. Dodging a kick, Keith grunted, arm straining to hold back the glowing plasma blade, feeling its heat closing in on his cheek. A shout over the intercom distracted him briefly. Gasping as the plasma blade made contact, he stumbled, barely weaving out of the way of not Shiro’s next attack. 

Kicking out, he caught him in the knee, sending the bigger man staggering. “NOW’S NOT THE TIME, HUNK!” Screaming, Keith continued pressing his advantage, slowly beginning to push not Shiro backwards, inch by inch, towards a stasis pod. 

Behind him Keith felt the telltale zap of electricity that only meant one thing. He saw an opening when the other man paused at the strange sensation building. Catching his arm between both blades, he sliced the metal limb right off before leaping sideways, rolling out of the way, just as Kosmos snapped into existence, the large wolf crashing right into not Shiro.

Bristling, Kosmos growled into not Shiro’s face, pinning him in place. 

Panting, he dragged himself upright. “Good..good boy.” Chest heaving, Keith kicked the man impersonating his brother squarely in the face. Digging his fingers into the fabric covering broad shoulders, he made eye contact with Kosmos. “Go to dad, Kosmos. Get dad to the medbay.” Dragging the heavy body towards the stasis pod, Keith watched as Kosmos immediately spun on his paws, racing to where Lance laid, a growing pool of blood visible. Moments later both were gone, leaving Keith to handle this next part alone.

Stuffing the limp body into the pod, he made sure everything was running properly before spinning and racing towards the medical wing, desperation hammering in his chest. 

_Please be alive. Please be alive, Lance. Please don’t let me lose you too._

Bursting into the room, Keith was hit by a wall of noise, four panicky voices mingling in the small space, each trying to talk and be heard over the others. Careening his way forward, he didn’t stop until he collided with the smooth glass of the healing pod. Tucking his hands against the cold surface, he stared up at Lance’s slack face. 

“….Is he…” his voice cracked embarrassingly but Keith didn’t care for once. Clearing his throat, he tried again, whispering at the pod more than trying to catch anyone’s attention. “Is he going to be okay?”

A warm hand settled on his shoulder, Coran’s voice coming from behind. “He’ll be fine. The damage was localized and Kosmos brought him here quickly enough that he didn’t bleed out. Why, Lance should only be in the pod for five vargas, at most!”

How could Coran be so…cheerful when Keith’s husband was hurt in his own home. When Keith felt useless while his most important person had been violated, nearly _killed_ in a place that was supposed to be safe. By a man who wore the face of someone they all trusted and loved. 

Leaning his forehead to the unblemished glass, he closed his eyes, refused to acknowledge anyone else in the room. A weight settled against his leg, a whine reaching him. Lowering one hand, Keith let it rest on top of his wolf’s head.

He could hear them whispering, the worried tones, but Keith ignored it all. He had failed Lance. He didn’t deserve their comfort, their support. Not while the love of his life was paying for his weakness. Turning around, he sunk down onto the floor, back pressed tightly to the front of Lance’s pod and buried his face into his up drawn knees, Kosmos whining at his side.

He knew he had things to do, duties to oversee, but the thought of leaving filled him with dread. 

“Keith.”

Allura’s voice was soft and low. Angling his head slightly to let her know he was listening. A beat passed before she spoke again. “We’re returning to the bridge. If you need anything, Coran will be monitoring the medbay. Alright?” 

Hesitating, he nodded but kept his face bowed, turned away from the team.

Their footsteps echoed as they left, the doors sliding shut behind them.

Breathing out, Keith curled up tighter, knees drawn harder to his chest. His only companion Kosmos and the steady shushing noise of the pod he was leaning into. 

*

The team was gathered. Keith stood directly in front of the pod, staring unblinkingly at Lance’s face, waiting impatiently for it to open. With a soft hiss, the glass dissolved, fog rolling out in a cold cloud. Stepping forward, he extended his arms, catching Lance as the taller man stumbled forward, face mashed into a shoulder. Cradling him firmly, he eased backwards, tugging Lance all the way free of the pod, turning his head slightly to brush a kiss along the curve of an ear. “Sweetheart?”

Blurry blue eyes opened, but all he could see was dark fabric bunched up under his nose. Rolling his head sideways, Lance stared at Keith, mind slow to catch up. Memory slammed into him with all the force of a freight train and he careened backwards, arms pinwheeling as panic hit. His eyes darted frantically around the room even as he continued to stumble backwards, not stopping until his back hit a wall. Jumping at the sudden feeling, he tumbled sideways, tripping over his own feet in his fear. 

Hitting the ground hard, he scrambled away, chest heaving with the force of his anxiety. 

“Hey. Hey, sweetheart.” Lowering his voice, Keith cautiously approached, curling his shoulders in to make himself look smaller, less threatening. “Lance, it’s okay. You’re safe. It’s over.” Dropping into a crouch a few feet away, he stared at his partner, palms angled upwards to show he wasn’t holding anything. “It’s me, love. Just me. Can I come closer?”

His eyes darted from Keith’s face down to his hands then to the team hovering on the far side of the room. Licking at his lips, he recoiled before nodding slowly, returning his attention to Keith. “…Just…yeah. Just you. No one else.” His voice croaked, the words half caught in his throat but Lance shoved them out, wanting desperately to be wrapped in his husband’s embrace.

Shifting to his knees, Keith shuffled forward until he was directly in front of Lance. Opening his arms wide for the other man, he waited patiently.

Throwing himself forward, knocking both over, he buried himself into Keith’s arms, shoving his face against his neck, clinging. Swallowing back bile, he fought valiantly against the memories threatening to overwhelm him. Shaking violently, Lance whimpered softly, rubbing his face back and forth across Keith’s exposed skin, seeking comfort however he could. 

Petting his hair, Keith craned his head around, looking back at the rest of the team. Meeting Coran’s knowing eyes, he hoped they understood and gave him space to calm Lance down enough to let them close. 

Seeing his message was received, he tucked his chin on top of Lance’s damp hair, arms locking more securely around his trembling partner. “Hey, sweetheart. It’s just us now. The others left, okay? Just the two of us and Kosmos. You’re okay, I’m okay. We’re both fine. Everyone’s okay.” Keeping up the flow of words, Keith felt Lance’s tremors begin to ease. Kissing at his ear, his temple, he continued to speak, keeping his voice low and soothing. 

Meeting his eyes, Lance stared at Keith, soaking up his appearance. “Keith?”

“Hey, love. Back with me?” Unwinding an arm, he touched the side of Lance’s face.

Leaning into the touch, he exhaled, let go of his lingering tension, the knot of fear. “Starlight, can we go back to our quarters?” Lance’s voice shook just a little, pleading in his eyes. He needed to know his husband was there. “I can’t. I can’t deal with the others right now. Please?”

Sitting up, he held Lance tight to him, motioning for Kosmos to come join them. Their wolf bounded over, vibrating happily that his existence was acknowledged, giving both men a solid lick before teleporting them away to the privacy of their home.

Lance knew that eventually they would have to deal with everything that happened. But the look Keith was giving him, he knew that wasn’t Keith’s priority. Taking a deep breathe, he eased away, trying to control the overwhelming need to latch back onto Keith and never let go again.

He watched Keith move away, opening the dresser and taking out a pair of boxers, unaware how he took two steps forward the shorter man. 

“Here. Put this on then get in bed.” 

Tugging off the pod suit with shaking hands, Lance changed, leaving the suit on the floor. Kicking it away, he climbed into their bed, watching as Keith stripped. Sinking deeper into the mattress, he wrapped himself up in the blankets, still feeling chilled from the pod.

Reaching for the covers, Keith pulled them away just enough to crawl in next to Lance, rolling himself over immediately to plant his body snuggly half on top of Lance’s. Placing an open mouth kiss to his collar bone, he settled in, hand gripping loosely at Lance’s hip. 

Breathing noisily, Lance stared down at the dark head resting on his chest and lifted shaking arms. Hooking them tightly around his husband’s back, he exhaled, letting his eyes drift shut.

They had so much to do, so much to figure out. But…but Lance needed this. Needed Keith in his arms, knowing they’d be okay. That no matter what happened, they had each other. That they made it out the other side together.

Drifting off, Lance exhaled, secure in the knowledge they hadn’t lost each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea what I'm doing so please send kudos/comments.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The enemy has struck and the team is left feeling vulnerable. They are left trying to make sense of the events leading up to this and handling the aftermath of the attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! So I attempted to wrap up some dangling plot lines. More or less managed that. The chapter was not quite as long as I expected it to be but felt like this was a good stopping point. 
> 
> There might be some triggers in this chapter for people. Mentions of violence, threats of harm/death, trying to break someone will be found ahead. So proceed with caution or back out of the fic now if you will be triggered by such things.

“Keith.” 

“Hmmm.”

“Come on, babe, I know you aren’t sleeping.” Lance grumbled down at Keith, spotting the telltale signs that his husband was faking slumber. Digging fingers into a bare shoulder, he shook him. “Starlight.” Shake. “Babe.” Shake. “Light of my life, get the fuck up.” Shaking his shoulder harder with each word, he was preparing to drag his husband right out of their bed. “Look, I know you don’t want to deal with this anymore than I do but it’s been a week. And we can’t keep ignoring Shiro’s imposter.” 

Rubbing his free hand across his pinched expression, Lance wanted nothing more than to lay down and curl tightly along Keith’s back. 

It had been a rough week.

Pidge, Hunk and Coran spent much of it working to unearth the imposter’s sabotage, tightening security on the castle-ship.

Lance felt guilty for not helping them.

Even though he knew he’d get in the way, lacking the skills needed to aid them. 

“Starlight, you can’t feign sleep. I’ve watched you sleep too many times to be faked out now.” Releasing his shoulder, Lance glared down at his husband, arms folded across his chest. “Up or I will let send in the big guns.”

Finally movement. Keith inched his head to the side, one barely visible purple eye coming into view. “What big gun?” 

“I will go get Hunk and tell him you were the one who ate the last of his jelly.” Narrowing his eyes at Keith, Lance was willingly to boldface lie. “Don’t think I won’t.” 

Rolling over with a sigh, Keith landed on his back, staring up at Lance. “Sweetheart, you can tell Hunk that,” he muttered, switching his gaze from Lance to the ceiling above the bed. “Because it isn’t changing the fact I hate this whole situation. That’s not my brother. And more importantly, he _hurt you._ I can’t forgive that.” Shakily letting out a breathe, he draped an arm over his face, hiding the pained look taking hold. “You’re right, though. We do have to deal with this. We need to figure out where the real Shiro is.”

Nudging at an extended arm, he reclined next to his partner, resting his chin on Keith’s chest. “It can wait a little longer,” he offered quietly, running a palm along the contours of Keith’s body, hoping to provide comfort. “It’s waited a week, another day or two won’t make a difference.”

Lifting his arm, purple eyes peeking out, he frowned. “Why the change of heart?” Keith demanded, looking suspicious.

“Look. It’s clear neither of us feel comfortable yet. And I know you’ve been having nightmares. I have been too. This whole thing sucks. It sucks so much and the idea of going _near_ the stasis pods is terrifying me, “ Lance mumbled down at his hands, expression tight with uneasiness. His eyes darted up, rapidly meeting Keith’s before dropping back down, mouth pressed in a tight line. “So. I don’t want to do this. Trying to motivate myself ‘cause the longer we put off in dealing with it, the more…” Trailing off, he ran a hand over his face, sighing. “You know what I mean, starlight.”

Rolling onto his side, he clutched at Lance’s hands, knitting their fingers together tightly. “Tomorrow. We’ll deal with it all tomorrow.” Keith returned Lance’s look with one of his own, a barely there smile lingering at the corners of his mouth. “Haven’t had much time being alone with you this week.” Using their linked fingers, he hauled Lance forward, not stopping until the taller man was crashing into his chest. Immediately enfolding his husband in an unyielding hug, Keith buried his face into Lance’s hair, shakily sighing.

Wiggling to get more comfortable, Lance squirmed an arm halfway under Keith, returning the embrace as tightly. “Love you, babe.” Face pressed to Keith’s shoulder, he whispered promises into bare flesh. The arms locked around him tightened and he knew his husband understood.

Tucking his face more securely along the curve of a shoulder, Lance breathed in. Laying tangled in Keith’s arms, he rubbed his cheek back and forth slowly, contentment buzzing through his veins, seeping into his body. “Hey, starlight?” he murmured, voice half muffled.

“Hmm?”

“Let’s get married.” 

A huff of laughter echoed through their room, causing Lance to grin against Keith’s skin. 

“Sweetheart, we’re already married, or do I need to drag you to Coran to have your head checked?”

“Rude.” 

“You’re the one experiencing memory loss.” 

“Super rude.”

“Go to sleep, love.”

“Make me.” Taunting, Lance molded his body tighter to Keith’s, winding long arms snug around the smaller man, his grin widening as Keith kneed him in the thigh. 

“Why are you like this.” 

Laughing, Lance hung on while Keith half-heartedly tried to break free, letting all his fears, tension and anxiety melt away. They were alive, together and had their team backing them up. 

Everything was going to be fine.

*

Lance was starting to believe that he was jinxing himself. Everything was _not_ fine. 

He was beginning to really hate that word. He was going to cut it from his vocabulary forever. Goodbye word, hello nothing to replace it. 

Feeling a muscle twitch in his jaw, Lance had to take a deep breath, rolling his shoulders in an effort to relax. 

Beside him Hunk stood still as a statue, only his face showing how unnerved he was. Lance tilted his head slightly, just enough to catch sight of his best friend’s uneasy expression, hating the way Hunk was fighting not to squirm. Sighing, he spotted Pidge on the bigger man’s opposite side, and hated this situation all the more when their eyes met. Pidge looked as bad as Hunk, if not more, and Lance _knew_ it had to be hard on her, to see what looked like her brother’s best friend wearing such a malicious visage. 

He knew this was hard on all of them; Shiro was their friend. And this…this stranger with his face seated before them was wrong in more ways than Lance could ever count. 

Remaining next to Hunk, Lance sought out Keith, gaze landing on a tense back, shoulders tight with some emotion he struggled with naming. Casting a quick look to his side, he noticed how everyone was focused on Keith and the stranger with Shiro’s face. 

Swallowing thickly, he took one step than another, continuing forward until he was positioned just behind Keith’s right shoulder, silently offering whatever comfort possible. One hand inched towards his husband’s, fingertips lightly brushing across Keith’s palm. Behind him, Lance felt the others closing rank, crowding around them. 

Head turning slightly, Keith peeked sideways at Lance, strain visible in that all too brief look. Callused fingers seized Lance’s hand, entangling their fingers, a firm pressure applied, a silent reminder they stood together. “Who are you?” he growled at the cuffed man before them.

Dark laughter. A sound none had ever heard from Shiro broke over them. A sinister smile. “Call me Kuron,” he chuckled, pleasure at their reactions clear on his face. Leaning forward, he strained at his shackles, eyes glowing. 

“Where’s Shiro?”

Those purple eyes, so unlike Keith’s, honed in on Lance. The smile that followed sent chills down his back and he struggled not to back up, move sideways until he was hidden behind Keith. 

“Somewhere.”

“Tell us where he is!” Pidge snapped, hands balling up, fury audible in her voice, in her eyes. 

“Pidge. Don’t let him under your skin.” Keith looked tired underneath his fury, eyes darting from Kuron to Pidge, debating whether to plant himself between the two. “We’ll find Shiro.” 

Lance knew intimately how little Keith believed those words, but he held his tongue, free hand nervously hovering over the side of his thigh, prepared to summon his bayard. 

“The stasis pod already extracted most of his memories,” Coran spoke up, loitering at the back of the group, fingers tapping at the data pad held in one hand. “I’ve been going through the data for the last six vargas. If he knows anything, we will as well.” 

Tension melted from Allura at the news, a relieved half smile appearing. “Good. Then we can place the prisoner back in stasis.” 

“Um. I hate to be the downer, but what if he doesn’t know? We’ll be back to square one and no new leads.” Hunk nervously flinched away from the look leveled at him by Kuron, stepping away to half hide behind Coran. “You know what? Forget I said anything!”

Laughing, Kuron locked his eyes on Keith, a wicked grin none had ever seen on Shiro lighting up his features. “You will never find him. Shiro is dead, he abandoned you like everyone else has.” Those indifferent eyes shifted to Lance, his smile widening, taking unbridled joy in his fear, before returning his unwavering stare to Keith. “Like Lance is going to leave you one day. You will always be alone, Keith, abandoned and unloved.”

Keith flinched, recoiled away from the man wearing Shiro’s face, those hateful words striking deep, hitting fears that his husband kept buried. Rage boiled over, bursting into existence, stirred up by Lance’s need to protect. Stirred up by the look he caught a glimpse of before Keith’s expression shuttered, growing blank.

Bristling, Lance snapped. Releasing his hold on Keith’s suddenly lax palm, he flung himself forward, fist slamming into Kuron’s jaw. Hard enough to knock the imposter and the chair he was bound to right over. Chest heaving, he glared down, outrage coursing through every nerve. “Wrong. You’re wrong. I am never leaving Keith. How fucking dare you say that to him! Preying on his insecurities and making him relieve the worse moments of his life! Fuck you and fuck Haggar and we will find Shiro, the real Shiro, and you will rot.” 

Kicking out, his heel caught the edge of Kuron’s jaw, the sound reverberating throughout the room. Bending over, Lance grabbed hold of the front of Kuron’s shirt, hauling him up to snarl. “You may have Shiro’s memories but you are not him and missed out on a few important things. We’re a family, asshole, and families support one another.” Shaking him once, he suddenly found himself being yanked away, hands prying them apart, firm arms dragging him away. 

Struggling, Lance tried to break free, furiously glaring at Kuron as the man started to laugh, voice growing higher in pitch. His struggles eased off, unease taking hold as everyone froze, staring.

“Blue Paladin, you will get what’s coming for you.” His bloody mouth stretched wide, Kuron grinned, glowing eyes seeming to peer right through Lance. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he chuckled manically. “I will make Keith watch as I take you apart limb by limb, Blue Paladin.” Something dark squirmed across his eyes. “Until you are screaming, pleading for it to end. Then I will kill you as he begs for your life.” Leaning forward somehow, despite being on his side still, Kuron never took his eyes off Lance. “And there is nothing you can do to stop me.”

Frozen in place, Lance felt someone shaking, hard, heavy breathing from nearby. A hand clutching tight to his bicep. Fear tightened his throat, and it was difficult to swallow. Suddenly staring at someone’s chest, he looked up, seeing Hunk staring back with wide eyes. 

“C’mon, buddy, let’s get you two of here,” Hunk whispered, voice gentle, hands cautious as he nudged Lance backwards, causing whoever was clinging to his arm to follow. “Coran, Allura, Matt and Pidge will handle Kuron.” Without looking back, he continued to guide his friends from the room, trusting the others to deal with the situation, while he took care of Keith and Lance. “I’ll make you both some hot cocoa.”

Moving on auto-pilot, Lance kept staring straight ahead, letting Hunk’s flow of words wash over him without truly hearing any of it. The hand on his arm stayed tight, a steadying presence against the ringing in his ears, the fear clogging his throat. 

Feeling himself being pushed down, he sagged, breathing in deeply, eyes widening as awareness returned with vengeance. “KEITH!” 

“Whoa, buddy, calm down!” Hunk yelped, hands flailing through the air.

Faltering, Lance swung his head in his best friend’s direction, panic gnawing at his gut. “Where’s my husband?!”

“…Lance, he’s right next to you.”

Jerking around, he came face to face with Keith. Stared at wide purple eyes, soaking in the other man’s appearance. “Starlight?” A sob burst from his throat, Lance flinging himself at Keith, wrapping arms around Keith, climbing in his lap, pressing close. “Oh god, are you okay? Tell me you’re okay, babe.”

Ticks went by before Keith spoke, voice low and raspy. “I’m okay.” Urgently pushing his hands to Lance’s back, to his sides, he kissed him. “You’re okay. We’re okay…it’s all okay, sweetheart.” Breaking the kiss, he tucked their foreheads together, soaking in the sight of Lance’s face filling his vision. 

“He’s not going to ever get near you again, Lance.” Keith swallowed, arms tightening around his trembling husband, trying to dislodge the fear Kuron’s words instilled. “Won’t let anything happen to you ever again.” Each word was a whispered plead, a promise, desperation lingering in the air between them, Keith’s voice cracking and breaking with every word. 

Curling up tighter in the circle of Keith’s arms, Lance shut his eyes, burying his face firmly to the side of his neck, where shoulder met throat. As desperate for contact as Keith was.

He had no idea how long they stayed like that, clinging to each other for comfort, a need to be pressed together. Slowly, Lance grew aware of voices, soft and familiar, coming from the opposite side of the room. Raising his head, he opened one eye, peering through his lashes to see who was there and sighed. But he made no move to pull away from Keith, staying tucked to his chest. 

“Hey.” Pidge’s voice was subdued, unusually so. “We talked and thought it was a good night to have a team sleepover.” Her eyes met Lance’s, hopeful and understanding. “Matt and Hunk are gathering food and drink. Me and Allura got bedding and pillows.” Inclining her head just a tiny bit, she motioned towards the space between the couches, now crowded with blankets, sleeping bags and numerous pillows. “Thought..we all thought it might be best if we stuck together tonight. After…” Trailing off, her voice wobbled before steadying. “After what happened.”

Warmth filled Lance at the words, the sight of his friends wanting to help. Craning his head back, he met Keith’s eyes and knew his husband was completely on board with the idea. “Thanks, guys,” he murmured, slinking a little closer to Keith, feeling those arms hugging him securely. “It’s a great idea but shouldn’t…no. I don’t even want to think about that.” 

“Lance, everything will be fine. He’s secured and we _will_ find Shiro. We won’t stop searching until we do.” Allura met his gaze head-on, her expression fierce and determined. “As you said earlier, family is there for each other. And we are a family.” 

Half grinning, he nodded, opening his mouth to respond when the doors slide open, Hunk and Matt tumbling in with arms full, bringing almost laughter with them. Feeling Keith jolt under him, Lance wiggled even closer, twisting himself to plant a kiss to his husband’s cheek.

The fear remained, lingering at the edges of his consciousness, and he knew Keith was afraid too. But…but they were surrounded by their family, their friends, and like Allura said, it would be fine. 

They would make it through this together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is all for this fic. I struggled a bit with the ending but felt the team coming together to comfort each other was a good place to end it. Yes, Shiro is still missing but they have hope and well, sometimes hope and the support of loved ones is enough. Plus, that wasn't the focus of the fic so lol.
> 
> Hope y'all enjoyed this last chapter. Please kudos/comment!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being used as bait is the last thing Lance wants to do. But here he is, pretending to be hanging out in a disabled lion, waiting for the cartel they have been tracking for weeks to spot him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah. I didn't really plan on writing a new chapter for this but I am quite bored while in quarantine. So I've been writing a lot and a lot. Which means some fics that were considered done are getting an update and more new content will be arriving rapidly. 
> 
> This chapter really doesn't have much of a point but still enjoy. 
> 
> Also, I don't speak Spanish but Lance does and there are plenty of good sites to help me with a word here and there.

Hands gripping Red’s controls, Lance stared at the inky darkness surrounding him. He knew Pidge was somewhere nearby, hidden under Green’s cloak but anxiety buzzed through him, knotting his stomach up. Tightening his hands on the controls, he felt Red’s purr rumble through him, comforting in a way few things managed. 

Exhaling, Lance loosened his hands, feeling an ache and flexed one than the other, never taking both hands off Red’s controls, eyes darting from one panel to another. 

A display popped up, causing him to twitch, rolling back in his chair. Jerking his head around to look at whoever hailed him, Lance blanched at the sight of his husband’s face. Trying to smooth out his face before Keith could notice, he knew he failed when Keith’s brows furrowed.

“Lance, calm down.” 

“Easy for you to say. I’m the one playing bait, starlight,” he complained, eyes darting to the left, checking a display. 

A loud sigh dragged his eyes back to the screen just in time to see Keith pinching his nose. “Lance, we have you in our sights and will be there within sixty ticks should something happens,” Keith pointed out, purple eyes sparking with a hint of his temper that was quickly reined in “I don’t like this anymore than you do but I’m not letting anything happen to you either. Pidge is on your tail and Hunk, Allura and I are nearby with Coran close enough to provide backup too.” 

Wincing, Lance knew he was striking out at the one person who didn’t deserve his ire. “Sorry, babe. Just uneasy about this whole plan.” Lance felt Red purr louder than before, the sound feeling as if it was vibrating through his entire body. 

“You aren’t the only one worrying, Hunk keeps opening comms to ask questions. But you were the best choice, Red’s the fastest Lion and will be able to get you to safety quickly.” Keith watched Lance fiddle with Red’s controls, disliking the way those blue eyes darted around nervously. “Sweetheart, it’s going to be fine.”

“Keith, I want to believe you but I feel like I’m going to jump out of my skin,” he whined, wishing he could play with his wedding ring. A sudden beeping dragged Lance’s attention away from his husband’s stormy eyes. “Red’s picking up something. Approaching fast.” Glancing back at Keith, he took a deep breathe, releasing it and plastering a bright grin on his face. “See you soon, starlight.” Reaching out, he disconnected without giving Keith a chance to respond. 

…he was going to be in for it later.

Bracing himself, Lance kept an eye on the fast moving object, letting Red continue to scan the approaching object, trying to trust in the fact Pidge was within range to help. Breathing out again, he patted one of the control panels. “Alright, girl, let’s see if they take the bait of a disabled lion.”

To anyone scanning them, they would read Red as being floating dead in space, thanks to Pidge’s device attached to the underside of Red’s center panel, sending out false readings. Closing his eyes, Lance let his head roll backwards, resting against the chair, Red’s comforting purr filling his senses. 

A louder beep had him sitting up, eyes snapping to the side, watching as Red produced additional readings of the thing approaching. Reaching out, Lance tapped out a code and hit transmit, knowing the others would receive it. Red suddenly shuddered around him, and he tensed, hands steadily tightening on the controls, waiting for the signal.

Something vibrated around him, the feeling all too familiar. Jerking his head up, Lance felt his mouth go dry, Red beginning to radiate uneasiness in the back of his mind. “Red, ask Green if Pidge got all the intel needed,” he whispered. Then wondered why he was whispering. He was completely alone inside Red. …Right?

Glancing over a shoulder, Lance tried to peer into the cargo hold without rising from his chair. Was that someone in the cargo hold? Or was he hearing things. _Get a grip, there’s no one in here but me, Kogane._ He thought at himself, taking a deep breathe.

Red shook again, harder this time, and Lance nearly tumbled out of his chair. At the same moment, he felt Red’s wordless warning and decided it was time to go, with or without the signal. Grabbing hold of the controls again, he started to push them forward when Red suddenly roared in his head. 

Yanking hard on the controllers, Lance flung Red sideways, helmet sealing shut as something large crashed into the side of the cockpit. “Shit!” Yelping, he quickly opened a channel to Keith, barking out. “Red’s been compromised!” 

“Lance!” Throwing himself forward, he rolled out of his chair at Keith’s shout, bayard appearing in his hand, transforming into his short range blaster. Shooting his attacker, Lance kept one eye focused on the door, the other on the intruder groaning against Red’s wall, trusting Keith to back him up through the channel. 

“I said this was a bad idea!” 

“Lance, I know!” Keith gritted out, steering Black out of the hiding spot he, Allura and Hunk had chosen. “We’ll be there in thirty ticks.”

“I thought you said sixty earlier.”

Ignoring his husband’s catty remark, Keith lifted a hand up to send Pidge a message. “Keep your head down until we reach you.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” he muttered, positioning himself in the best spot in the cockpit, blaster aimed at the door. Taking his eyes off the door just long enough to check on his unwelcomed guests, Lance heard something bounce off the floor and twisted back around, spotting the object. His eyes widened and he shouted, diving under the meager protection of the chair. “Speed it up, guys! They’re trying to smoke me out.”

“I need five more ticks!” Pidge’s voice filled his ears. “They’re trying to scramble my connection.” 

“I don’t have five ticks,” Lance snapped, shooting at faintly visible shadows moving through the smoke. Screaming when something sharp pierced his under suit, just under the chest piece, he fell to his knees, bayard dropping from his arms to clatter against the floor, reverting to its standard form. Muscles contracting, he landed on his side, tremors running through his entire body. Cursing, he tried to move, glaring up at the alien emerging from the smoke.

“Hm. The Blue Paladin.” Making a noise of disgust, the alien barked an order at two of the others hanging in the background. “Grab them. We need to get out of here before the rest of the paladins arrive.” 

Trying to move, Lance glared harder as one of the hulking aliens grabbed him by the front of his armor, dangling from their grip. Opening his mouth to make a comment purposely designed to get under their skin, he found himself jerking when Red shook violently, the alien holding him up nearly tumbling to the floor.

“What was that?!”

“Time to go. Bring the paladin.” 

Laughing, Lance squirmed as much as his unresponsive body allowed, giving them a toothy grin. “You have no idea what you are in for, _pendejo_. Just wait until my partner gets done with you.” Feeling Red’s mind brush his own, he immediately launched into high pitched Spanish, shouting at his captors, doing his best to hide the sound of the rest of the team’s rapid approach. 

“Shut the idiot up,” the leader snarled, beginning to turn towards the cargo area. “I don’t care how, as long as he’s alive. We’re paid to bring him alive, not in one piece.” Stepping through the doorway, the tall, lanky alien left the two larger men in the cockpit.

Driving one of his right arms into Lance’s stomach, wearing a wicked grin, the alien shifted his grip on Lance, slinging him over a shoulder. Turning to follow after his boss, he froze suddenly, a quivering dagger poking out of his throat. Pawing frantically at his neck, he dropped like a stone, hitting the floor with a dull thud.

Jumping away, the remaining alien scrambled for his weapon. Yanking it free, he started to face the threat coming from the dark space beyond the cockpit. Opening his mouth to growl, he had no time to dodge the red and white sword flying through the air, burying itself to the hilt in the his chest. Crashing to the floor next to the other alien, he stared wide-eyed up at the dark haired human appearing from the open doorway. “Galra…” Wheezing, he stared up at glowing yellow eyes, his own drifting shut.

Growling, Keith stalked forward, yanking out his weapons from the bodies. Messily wiping the blades clean on torn fabric, he slide the knife into its scabbard, bayard vanishing in a flash. Crouching next to the bodies, he tugged Lance upright, sweeping glowing eyes along his husband’s body, searching for any injury. “Are you alright?” 

“Ye…yeah.. I’m fine, querido _."_ Lance tried to lift a hand, frowning in annoyance when his body still refused to cooperate. His eyes darted back in his husband’s direction, seeing the Galra traits, and knew Keith would need time to cool off. “Could use some help. They hit me with something. Can’t move.”

Scooping him up in his arms, Keith stepped around the chair, pausing in the doorway, glancing back to the cockpit, eyes flickering to the bodies. “Have Red follow us back. I’ll come and get her cleaned up after leaving you in Coran’s care.” Ducking through the door, he carried Lance to the Red’s open mouth, triggering his jetpack and soaring through open space towards Black.

Leaning into his embrace, Lance felt Red’s rumble of agreement. Closing his eyes, he let himself relax. 

For now.

**

Toweling his hair dry, Lance stood in front of the foggy mirror. Lowering the towel a little, he took an edge to wipe at the surface, removing the moisture, catching sight of Keith watching him from the open bathroom door. Flashing him a smile, he was relieved to see the other man return his smile. 

Dropping the towel around his shoulders, he wandered out of the bathroom, grin widening at the way Keith’s eyes, now their usual purple, swept over him. “Hey, starlight. Did Pidge get all the data she needed?”

“Yes but she needs time to decode it. Probably won’t have the intel until tomorrow.” Pulling off his chest piece, Keith set the armor down to be cleaned later. Snagging the back of the chair, he pulled it out, sitting to wrestle off his leg and foot armor. “Got Red all cleaned up.”

A part of him squirmed uncomfortably at the reminder people had died inside Red. Plastering on a neutral expression, Lance tossed his towel into the hamper, grabbing the pair of boxers he left out on the bed. Stepping into them, he tugged the material up over damp skin. “Hey. It’s movie night. Got any requests for snacks?”

“Lance. Movie night’s not for two more days.” Kicking off the stretchy material from his feet, he stood and started to work his black under suit free, watching Lance from under his bangs. “Did you hit your head? Should I have Coran give you another check-up?” Keith frowned, dropping his armor in a messy pile.

“What? No! I’m fine. Perfectly fine!” Lance knew he was running his mouth and causing Keith’s concern to spike by the way those thick brows knitted together. But he couldn’t stop himself. Turning away, he busied himself with grabbing a shirt and yanking it on over his head. Skin darkening as he realized quickly it was one of Keith’s shirts. 

“Sweetheart.” Coming up behind him, he placed his hands on Lance’s shoulders, squeezing firmly. 

“I’m fine, Keith.”

“You aren’t.”

Twisting under his hands, he folded arms across his chest, leaning away slightly. “Starlight, can you drop it? I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

Throwing his arms into the air, Keith growled, stepping away to pace back and forth. “Lance, I’m trying to apologize!”

Jaw dropping, Lance froze in place, his eyes tracking his husband moving around their room. “…What.”

“I knew you didn’t feel comfortable being bait or even wanted to do this at all but I asked you to do it anyway.” Stopping in mid-step, he folded arms tightly over his chest, meeting Lance’s eyes without hesitation. “You were my first choice because I knew you could pull it off. Hunk’s too nervous, Allura’s a terrible actor, Pidge too prone to getting caught up in the details.” Exhaling a little loudly, Keith looked away. “You’re a good actor, patient enough to wait, and you think well on your feet. No one else would have thought to start shouting to hide my approach.”

Finally looking back at his husband, Keith half smiled. “That gave me time to get the drop on the cartel’s boss.” 

Floundering, Lance wanted to deny Keith’s words, tell him he was wrong. That Keith had done the hard work. Feeling Red’s presence coiling around him, he relaxed, shoulders loosening as the events of the day slipped away. “I’m not going to win this argument,” he muttered, noticing the grin on his husband’s face. 

“Nope,” he replied. “Now get over here.”

Rolling his eyes, Lance crossed the space between them, throwing his arms around Keith, plastering himself to his chest, cheek coming to rest on his shoulder. “You, starlight, are an asshole.”

“I’m your asshole.”

Snorting against his bare skin, he hugged him tighter, enjoying the way Keith felt in his arms. “Better believe you are, starlight.”

Letting out a faint laugh, Keith hooked his arms around Lance, smoothing a palm along his back, feeling Lance shiver. 

Smiling into his neck, Lance ignored the way Keith smelled like blood and sweat, focusing on just having him in his arms.

Nudging him lightly, he felt Lance’s arms tighten around him. “Alright, no trying to shower yet.”

“Better believe it, starlight.” Pressing a light kiss to Keith’s skin, Lance nuzzled closer, intending on standing there with him for as long as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and/or kudos please!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank y'all for taking the time to read this!


End file.
